Balancing Life and Nursing School: You Can Do It!

Taking a class on top of work and home obligations is a challenge, but it's a doable one. These study tips for nursing school will help you ease into your new schedule:

Nursing School Tips

Manage your time. Get a small calendar, electronic planner or computer to keep track of your schedule. Lay out blocks of time for work, study and home time. Lay out a block to rest! Design a realistic schedule and stick to it.

Start slowly. You may want to study full time, but remember that studying part time is also an option. And know that you can't do it all perfectly. Jacksonville University lets you graduate at your own pace and take sessions off if you need a break. Just do the best you can!

Schedule a little "me" time. Make sure you don't forget to eat well, exercise and treat yourself to some well-deserved downtime. The goal is to keep yourself healthy in body, mind and spirit.

Be realistic. Recognize that there will be a period of adjustment for everyone in your family, but they will adjust.

Lean on classmates. The other online nursing school students in your courses are in the same situation as you. Finding a study buddy is a great way to gain needed support to see you through to graduation.

Lean on JU. Our faculty, your academic advisor and your program representative will serve as support systems to help you through the online nursing school program.

Hone Your Time Management Skills

As you start to plan your BSN degree, talk to your advisor about how many credits you can manage in the first session. Then use these nursing school tips of good time management to get everything accomplished:

As we mentioned before, we'd be lost without our printed and electronic calendars. Enter your current commitments at work and home, then add in class times, homework deadlines, professors' office hours, etc. Keeping everything in one place will help maximize your efficiency.

Are you a morning person or a night person? Plan your study times for your peak periods.

Break large tasks down into smaller ones. Then you can use smaller blocks of time to work through a large assignment bit by bit. You have all week to complete your assignments as long as they are done by Sunday.

Minimize distractions during study time. You'll get more done in less time if you focus only on studying. Many JU nursing school students do their studying after their children are in bed.

Set goals and reward yourself when you reach them.

Going to school online helped me by allowing me to still work a full–time job and take care of my family. Even though the program was online, I had full access to faculty. The recorded lectures were very helpful as were the printed study guides. Registering for classes was convenient and painless. Attending courses online helped me give my family the time they deserve. I did not have to worry about childcare to attend a live class. The amount of hours required to get the work done was reasonable. I was able to work full time, and occasionally work extra hours, take care of 2 small children, spend time with my husband and kids, and complete chores around the house. Online is the only way to go when you live a busy life. I have encouraged many RNs to give JU a try!”

Kim Samson, RN, BSNColumbus, Ohio

Advantages of Having a Study Buddy

When you attend a brick-and-mortar college, advisors encourage you to get involved with campus clubs so you can make friends. It actually improves your graduation rate if you do. Having a study buddy works the same way for online nursing students.

Study buddies help you get more from your classes, and they help you persevere when you're handling difficult subject matter. Studying together improves your understanding and retention of the material. And if your study buddy is a neighbor, friend or co-worker, you can share your course materials and save yourself some out-of-pocket expenses. What's more, you and your study buddy are a good audience for each other when you need to vent.

The best way to find a study buddy is to tell your co-workers and friends you are attending Jacksonville’s online RN to BSN program. We often see groups of friends from work earning their degrees together.

Now that you know how it’s possible to fit school into your life, request a call from a program representative to get more details.